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Art Diamond

Valentino Architects

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Bronze

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Single-Brand Store
5.43
6.14
6.07
5.36
5.75
Tetsuya Matsumoto
Tetsuya Matsumoto Head Architect at KTX archiLAB
5
6
6
6
5.75
Florian Seidl
Florian Seidl Design Manager at Lavazza
I like how the space becomes more i...
5
7
6
6
6
Royce Epstein
Royce Epstein Design Director at Mohawk Group
The arches are a nice design featur...
5
6
6
5
5.5
Jaycee Chui
Jaycee Chui Founding partner at More design office
5
6
6
5
5.5
Matteo Renna
Matteo Renna Founder at matteorenna | studio
5
6
6
5
5.5
Simona Franci
Simona Franci Principal and Design Director at Fortebis
5
6
6
5
5.5
Julie Payette
Julie Payette Cofounder and Partner at v2com newswire
Nice soft cozy atmosphere with arch...
6
6
6
6
6
Jelle Sapulete
Jelle Sapulete Design Director at Adidas
5
6
6
5
5.5
alberto caiola
alberto caiola Design Director at Alberto Caiola Studio
6
6
6
5
5.75
Judith Haase
Judith Haase Architect at Gonzalez Haase AAS
5
6
6
5
5.5
P.C.Ee
P.C.Ee Editor & Creative Director at industry+
4
6
4
5
4.75
Shannon Pringle
Shannon Pringle Interior Designer at Bernardon
8
7
8
7
7.5
Justin Bridgland
Justin Bridgland Founding Partner at More Design Office
6
6
7
5
6
Nic Lee
Nic Lee Design Director at Waterfrom Design Co., Ltd
6
6
6
5
5.75
Client
Mr. Lee Satariano
Floor area
85 ㎡
Completion
2020
Photography
Alex Attard
Project Management
DPM Malta

Located within a busy shopping centre in a dense Maltese seaside town, Art Diamond offers an alternative to conventional diamond stores, prioritising neutrality and lucid customer flow over ostentation. Its shop-front opens onto a bustling piazza, encouraging inclusivity through unencumbered entrance and browsing. Vitrines work as diminutive galleries, with each product given its own dedicated viewing field. The store evokes a museum vernacular, favouring diffused light and spacious browsing areas over saturated product display. Custom cabinets double as spatial landmarks, directing users through curated zones. A minimal material palette reduces waste and streamlines manufacture, with its local Gozo hardstone being quarried only a few miles away. The brand rejects fast-fashion, favouring quality, enduring products – this reflects in the interiors, with material and composition quality ensuring longevity. The store offers varied levels of functionality and privacy. Initial spaces are open, furnished with seating as casual sales points. At the rear, a private laboratory-office offers secluded meeting space. A colonnaded corridor links the shop-front and office – materials shift from stone, metal and glass to timber and fabric, whilst a more intimate scale enhances familiarity and security. Art Diamond functions less as a store as it does a gallery space. Its muted colours and subtle textures pull focus to the precious stones, elevating them to the realm of art in place of product.